A dishwasher is a home appliance that removes leftover food adhered to the surface of dishes using high-pressure wash water ejected from ejection nozzles. The dishwasher includes, for example, a tub, which defines a wash container, and a sump mounted on the lower surface of the tub for storing wash water therein. The dishwasher performs a washing cycle, a rinsing cycle, and a drying cycle in sequence.
A dishwasher having a drying function includes a drying device for removing moisture from dishes by supplying heated air into the tub. The drying device may include, for example, a heater for heating air, and a blowing fan for blowing the air heated by the heater. In addition, the dehumidification of moist air during drying is generally performed using Zeolite, or a heat pump system.
A conventional drying method includes a rinsing course. After water is heated in the rinsing course, the heated water is discharged into the tub so as to allow dishes to store thermal energy whereby the moisture on the surface of the dishes are evaporated using the latent heat of the dishes. Therefore, a lot of power is consumed when the water is heated.